el_freddo

I’d be diving in. But that’s me... Cheers Bennie

The answer you don’t want to hear is no, they’re not interchangeable unless you’re stepping from EFI turbo to NA carb. You need the heads with the injector boss in them. When they said a head was bad, what did they mean exactly? Blown HG?? If it were me in your position, and I had the space to store it while pulling the engine down (and the mechanical knowledge to do it) and the desire to have a unique Sunday cruiser, I’d go for it, even more so if the body is rust free - that’s the bad part to get! A replacement head could be sourced. I might take some time but you’ll find what you need eventually. Cheers Bennie

That’s a band aid. Won’t last for long and will no doubt result in a larger crack around the welded section. Cheers Bennie

The turbo AWD units were. There were also base models. We were so ripped off not getting these in Oz! I think we need more details on the vehicle. My thoughts started out as an MY hatch but then wondered if it is an L series coupe once efi was mentioned. Or is it a SPFI concerted EA81 MY hatch?? Lets get those sorted first then go from there Cheers Bennie

Further to what Steptoe says above, ensure a decent cool down before shutting off the engine. You want those heads to be as cool as possible to avoid any cracking. To me, it looks like a small imperfection in the casting. In the exhaust port you can see the cast seam coming down the port to the middle of the divider. Cheers Bennie

That’s so awesome! Targa top too. Good choice! Keep it tidy and don’t go over modding it so it’s ruined Here’s mine. It’ll get an EJ and an AWD box to go with it. All reversible. ^ the white brumby is my mother inlaw’s, she had it on the road for about 12 years. It’s now sitting and waiting for club rego so it can still be driven semi regularly. I hope your son learns to drive them properly. Ringing their neck every day because they’re slow will only kill them. Cheers Bennie

Fair call. I forget that you guys have that issue! Cheers Bennie

If you’ve got a parts car why not transfer the whole body lift and add a strut lift for a bit of extra clearance? Also, you’d have the required part numbers on those struts. Add some new king springs and you’ll be apples. Cheers Bennie

Check all the main fuses under the bonnet in the engine bay. Replace as needed. Check main power wires to fuse box, could be worth checking wiring from fuse box too. It could be fried/burnt before main fuse popped. Check your battery condition. Alternator is probably fried, especially if an attempt was made to crank the engine. ECU could be dead, maybe... Start from the battery and work into the wiring from there. Also examine the main wire on the positive side of the battery. It could be toast too. All the best with it. I don’t envy your position Bennie

The tool I use is a 14mm hex on a socket. So I lean on my breaker bar and give it a good shove to crack it free. Fair call on the rebuild. When you were talking bearings I thought your plans had changed! Cheers Bennie

Welcome Subieshop. We’ve got a few professional subaru mechanics on the forum looking forward to picks. Cheers Bennie

Agreed - false Auto has the front drive from the auto box “fixed” - it can’t change. The rear drive is what’s manipulated to get all wheel drive. If the front starts to slip, power is sent to the rear wheels. If the mechanism for drive to the rear is worn out, you’ll just get front wheel spin and little to no action from the rear wheels. For the manual, the gearbox output goes through a differential which mechanically decides where the power goes. There is a small LSD on one of the outputs - I’m not sure if it’s the rear, front or both, so I won’t comment on that. Cheers Bennie

And with the correct tool you lean on it then give a quick shove and it breaks free So are you now looking at rebuilding this engine? You sort of hinted at this in one of your posts above. Cheers Bennie

Check the wiring connector beside the engine where that wire has a sliding joint in it (effectively). I had issues with my temp gauge working and not working. It was an issue at this connector. Some wiring plug pin outs differ for different years, if the engine was a swap in drop, the wire at the plug could be in a different location to its mate. But with ~60k on the clock, I’d doubt its had an engine change, unless there was some catastrophic issue earlier in its life. Cheers Bennie

Pin C13 blue/green trace with a single silver dot. Other plug (green) is black/red with a single silver dot - goes to earth essentially. I hope that helps! Do you have a check engine light? B19 Red/Yellow or Red/Green wire. Other side of the light needs to be powered as the ECU earth switches to illuminate the light Cheers Bennie

Steptoe, by swapping the intake manifold it ensures you’re using the same kit to run the engine as the last one was. So the throttle position sensor and injectors move with the intake manifold. Temp sensor, cam, crank and knock sensors need to be removed and swapped while intake is off (easiest for the coolant sensor!). AFM and O2 sensors would remain usually. Th O2 sensor could be quietly faulty if it’s old or been knocked around in the swap. It’s usually a good idea to swap these if you don’t know of their history or it’s been sometime since it was swapped and you think it’s down on power. It doesn’t always throw a code! Cheers Bennie

There’s a set of test connectors, black from memory that you click together, then turn the ignition to the ON position without starting the engine. The check engine light will flash codes that you need to record. Long flash = 10, short flash = 1. Then reference any codes you have as to what they are. The ECU will list in order of where to start first, and it will loop until the ignition is off. You’ll also hear the fuel pump pulsating - on for several seconds, off for the same and so on. If there are no codes you’ll get a consistent single flash sequence that tells you the market designation of that ECU. Cheers Bennie

Check your pitch stopper rod and ensure it’s still bolted in firmly. Also check for broken engine or gearbox mounts. Cheers Bennie

In regards to sleeping length, a false floor to raise you above the folded forward seat base will give you more horizontal space but at the expense of vertical space. This can also provide some neat storage under the bed in the cargo and rear seat spaces. If you’re really handy, you could make a tent setup off the rear tailgate when it’s open - google Ute swag for ideas on that one Cheers Bennie

No for Oz. I believe they started in ‘95 and Gen1 ended in ‘94. I think they skipped on a crossover year for once but I’m not 100% sure on that! Cheers Bennie

That their engine is going to consume enough oil between changes to warrant a low level oil warning light? Cheers Bennie

Yeah sometimes I try to offer something that hasn’t been mentioned. As for the “just EJ it” comment. It has to be said from time to time. With the EJ It’s like I’ve scaled a wall to get to something better, I know how good it is and encourage others who don’t know to have a go. But many balk at the effort required to scale the wall to get to the better stuff... Generally the wall is the wiring. If you can read a diagram and realise there are many wires not needed, and many that are, you’ll be fine in cutting it down. But that’s got nothing to do with EA82 timing... Cheers Bennie

Generation change came between the Gen1 and 2 Liberty/Legacy. There will no doubt be differences in wiring and ECU between the two, but these can still run either engine configuration. The way to check is either compression test or remove a cam cover and see if the rocker arms have adjusters on them or not. If adjusters they’re solid rockers and the higher compression Gen2 engine, if no adjusters then it’s a hydraulic lash adjustment and the first gen engine with lower compression. Cheers Bennie

What, no “how big is your tank” for accurate comparison. @Raynman1989 you really need to accurately record the number of litres put into the fuel tank against the distance travelled. This will give you very accurate fuel usage records to compare. The EJ22 - what did it come from, a Gen1 or Gen2, and what was your original EJ22 from? The Gen2 EJ22 has a higher compression ratio to that of the Gen1, yet externally they both look the same. It could be a difference of compression ratio, that or you’ve got a worn engine. Also check for codes Cheers Bennie

Factory height adjustment on the front end will only raise the ride height above the stock ride height. It’s not recommended to drive with these wound all the way up on the open road. Cheers Bennie